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ACCD annual Report

Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS)

July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013

Laura Sibilia

Submitted 7/3/2013

July 2, 2013: SeVEDS annual Progress Report to ACCD

SeVEDS FY 13 Performance Measures for ACCD Contract

1. SeVEDS will ensure majority private industry membership of the following task force efforts:

a. Workforce – 2 private sector by January 2013 – achieved 6i. Angela Timm – Commonwealth Dairy

ii. Ann Andreosatos – New Chapteriii. Barbara Sondag – Town of Brattleboroiv. Becca Balint – Writer, former educatorv. Colby Dix – Vermont Geeks

vi. David Altstadt – Windham Workforce Investment Boardvii. Jeff Lewis BDCC – Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation

viii. Norm Schneeberger – G.S. Precisionix. Robinson, Andrew – Vermont Department of Laborx. Roger Allbee – retiree, former Secretary of Agriculture

xi. Ross Gibson – School for International Trainingxii. Stephan Morse – retiree – Chair Vermont Board of Education

xiii. Jeff Corrigan – Brattleboro Retreat

b. Communication - 2 private sector by January 2013 – achieved 3i. Julia Sorensen – Brattleboro Retreat

ii. Lisa Sullivan – Bartleby’s Booksiii. Colby Dix – Vermont Geeks

c. Development - 2 private sector by January 2013 – achieved 1i. Martin Langeveld – Strolling of the Heifers

ii. Barb Sondag – Town of Brattleboroiii. Jeff Lewis – Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation

2. SeVEDS will submit a CEDS to EDA by July 1, 2013 a. SeVEDS received its planning grant from EDA to do a CEDS in September, later than anticipated. We

conducted an RFP for consultants to guide CEDS development, receiving 9 proposals. SeVEDS chose ViTAL Economies, Inc. as its consultant to guide development of the CEDS. Our revised timeline has SeVEDS presenting the Windham region with a Draft CEDS in October for a 30 day comment period.

b. Documents attached are: i. Semiannual update to EDA for CEDS grant from December 2012

ii. SeVEDS RFP for CEDS developmentiii. ViTAL Economy, Inc Letter of Agreement with timetables iv. Semiannual update to EDA for CEDS grant June 30, 2013


3. SeVEDS will ensure the SeVEDS Workforce Coordinator (SWC), focused on achieving SeVEDS Objective 2, is hired by December 1, 2012

a. SeVEDS initially had funding to hire a .6 workforce coordinator and planned to do so in the fall. The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, SeVEDS affiliate who provides staffing and is SeVEDS fiscal agent, was charged with hiring the .6 position. After posting the job description, the few applicants were lacking in skills and experience needed. The search continued. At its November 20th meeting, the SeVEDS WF committee voted to recommend to the SeVEDS board that they extend the hiring timeline till January 31. However on December 18th, BDCC announced it had hired Pat Moulton Powden as Workforce Coordinator and eventual Executive Director for BDCC when Jeff Lewis retires in late 2013. Moulton Powden began as SWC in mid-February.

b. Since March, the Workforce Committee has developed an ambitious workplan and begun to develop a relocation packet for prospective new employees. They are currently planning on conducting a 5 year hiring inventory for the top 25 employers this summer. When Pat Moulton Powden assumes the Executive Director position, SeVEDS intends to rehire the workforce development coordinator position.

The SWC will:

c. (1) Identify and meet with the top 20 Employers in the Windham Region and congregate their needs – below are the Top 20 and whether or not Pat has met with them, if they are on the Workforce Committee and if they have participated in the CEDS process. If they are shaded in gray, attempts to set up separate meetings have been unsuccessful to date, or have not been made.


Meeting w/WFC WF Comm CEDS Focus grp


Brattleboro Retreat x x xWindham Southeast Supervisory Union x xEntergy Vermont YankeeBrattleboro Memorial Hospital x xC&S Wholesale GrocersGS Precision, Inc x x xStratton Mountain Resort x xWindham Northeast Supervisory Union x xMount Snow x xLandmark College x xWorld Learning x x xWindham Central Supervisory UnionGrace Cottage Hospital x xWindham Southwest Supervisory UnionPutney PaperNew Chapter x x xSonnax x x xCommonwealth Dairy x x xMarlboro College x x xThe Richards Group x x x

a. (2) Identify and meet with all secondary, post-secondary, Adult Learning and training institutions and congregate their opportunities.

i. All secondary and post-secondary institutions have met together several times with Pat and Jeff. Mapping of their opportunities is planned for this summer due to delayed hire of SWC.

b. (3) The SEVEDS Workforce Coordinator (SWC) will produce a list of needs, opportunities and training that exist and opportunities and training that do not exist

a. This list will be created as a product of the hiring inventory that will be undergone this summer and was delayed due to delayed hire of SWC.

4. SeVEDS will hold an annual meeting open to the public with official representation from at least 6 municipalities and 20 employers in September 2012

a. SeVEDS first Public Annual Meeting was held on September. A total of 10 municipalities and 20 employers RSVP’d – total attendance was over 100.

i. Attendee list attached

5. SeVEDS will make requests to attend 16 selectboards meetings to update on their efforts, and in writing ask for their financial support by January 1, 2012

a. SeVEDs mailed a request to all 27 towns in the region to appear on their selectboard agenda and asked for financial support of based on population size. We were invited to meet with 17. The towns in general were supportive and interested in what we are doing. Many towns had petitioning requirements for funding requests and we were only able to successfully petition in Marlboro. We were funded by the Towns of Brattleboro, Rockingham, Newfane, Dover, Vernon, Marlboro and Wilmington.


i. Letter to towns attachedii. Municipal fundraising status worksheet attached

iii. WIFM – “What’s in it for my town” attached

June 30, 2013


Ms. Tonia R. Williams, CEcDArea DirectorUnited States Department of CommerceEconomic Development AdministrationThe Curtis Center, Suite 140S601 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106-3323

Investment No.: 01-87-14181

Dear Ms. Williams,

Enclosed, please find our semi-annual progress report for the Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategy. Our first semi-annual report was submitted in December of 2012. This current report builds off of that December 2012 report. All updates since December 2012 are in bold text.

Our second round of public engagement meetings was just completed on June 28 th. The scheduling of these meetings will be including in this report, but due to the due date of this report, further analysis and feedback from these meetings will be submitted in our semi-annual report.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey LewisExecutive Director

CC: Mr. Willie TaylorMr. Matthew Suchodolski

In August of 2012, we received word that our request for a $75,000 Short Term Planning Grant from the Economic Development Administration had been approved. The purpose of the grant is to develop a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the Southeastern Vermont Region. The applicant for the grant is the Brattleboro


Development Credit Corporation (BDCC). BDCC is the fiscal and staffing agent for its affiliate, Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS).

Consultant selection and work:

On August 29th BDCC on behalf of its affiliate SeVEDS issued a request for proposals for development of a CEDS for Southeastern Vermont. All response submissions were to be received by October 1, 2012.

On October 1, 2012 BDCC was in receipt of nine (9) responses to our request for proposal. The consultants who submitted proposals were:

Mullin & AssociatesCamoin AssociatesViTAL Economy, Inc.Peter KwassAngelou EconomicsIce Miller Whiteboard, LLCTIP StrategiesThe Community Land Use and Economics Group, LLCHarvey International

On October 12th, the proposal selection sub-committee met. This subcommittee was comprised of four Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) board members:

Lisa Sullivan, Bartleby’s Books, Wilmington, VTPatrick Moreland, Assistant Town Manager, Brattleboro, VTTim Cullenen, Town Manager, Rockingham, VTJenna Pugliese, Planning Director Stratton Resort, Stratton, VTand Laura Sibilia, Director of Economic Development for BDCC

The proposals were evaluated using the following weighted measures:

Weight MaxQualifications & Experience with Studies of Similar Scope & Size 4 5Demonstrated Knowledge of Economic Development Knowledge and Trends 3 5Sufficient Staff for All Required Work 3 5History of Successful Performance on Similar projects 5 5Proposed Cost of the Study 3 5Demonstration of Commitment for Meeting the Project Schedule 5 5

The top scoring three proposals were selected for reference checks and phone interviews with the subcommittee: Mullin & Associates, Camoin Associates and ViTAL Economy, Inc. References were checked by Laura Sibilia and phone interviews with the entire subcommittee were held with each of the consultant groups on October 16 th.


On October 18th, the subcommittee made a recommendation to the SeVEDS board for ViTAL Economy, Inc. to be contracted to develop the CEDS for Southeastern Vermont. Jeff Lewis, Executive Director for BDCC and a SeVEDS board member was asked to develop and sign a contract with ViTAL Economy, Inc.

On November 30th a Letter of Agreement was signed between ViTAL Economy, Inc. and BDCC. The LOA indicates that a CEDS will be presented for 30 day public comment on September 19 th, 2013.

On January 18th the SeVEDS Board met with Frank Knott from ViTAL Economy in person and Mark Madsen via Webex for a 5 hour training session. *materials attached. The agenda for the training session:

1. Introductions and overview2. Review objectives (why are we doing a CEDS)3. Changing EDA requirements4. Best Practice CEDS examples5. CEDS Committee's roles and responsibilities6. CEDS Process including:

regional profile community meetings final document adoption of final document

On February 14th the SeVEDS Board met with Frank Knott and Mark Madsen of ViTAL Economies in person and approved the following CEDS committee membership:

SeVEDS Board PLUS Connie Snow – Windham Windsor Housing Andy Robinson – Department of Labor Rachel Selsky – Camoin Associates Stephanie Huestis – Peoples Bank Dutch Walsh – Town of Rockingham Gail Nunziato – Latchis Chris Moore – Lawyer Bill Anton – Dover School Principal Oliver Olsen – Oracle Roger Albee– former Secretary of Agriculture


On February 14th the CEDS Committee met with Frank Knott and Mark Madsen of ViTAL Economies in person with the following agenda:

Introductions Review official CEDS Committee membership confirmed by SeVEDS Board action (17 public, 7

non-profit, 5 public total of 59% private) Review CEDS subcommittees and purpose

o Event Planning –schedule for regional meetingso Communicationso CEDS development task force

Review & Discuss updated Issues of Challenge and Opportunity and Presentation for February 15th public meeting *materials attached

Public Engagement:

On September 13th, SeVEDS held its first annual public meeting in Bellows Falls. A public presentation on the regional economy and plans for the coming years was delivered to approximately 100 attendees. A request was made to be invited to speak to all 27 towns in the region. Speakers included:

Ted Brady, Senator Leahy’s office Secretary Lawrence Miller, Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development Shap Smith, Vermont Speaker of the HouseJeff Lewis, Executive Director BDCCBarb Sondag, Brattleboro Town Manager Lisa Sullivan, Chair SeVEDS Board

On October 15th, all 27 towns in the region were mailed a hardcopy request to appear on their select board agendas to update the boards on SeVEDS and the upcoming CEDS process. The mailing also included the SeVEDS FY 13 work plan.

As of December 18th, Laura Sibilia and a total of eight SeVEDS board members have spoken at 15 different town select board meetings.

On February 15th SeVEDS and the Windham Region CEDS Committee sponsored the CEDS public kick off meeting at the Brattleboro Retreat Education Conference Room from 8:30-11:30. The public was invited to attend the meeting through press releases published in the regional newspaper the Brattleboro Reformer, the weekly Deerfield Valley News, WTIC and WKVT FM radio stations located in Brattleboro, Vermont Public Radio and an emailed newsletter including invitation to all 27 towns selectboard and planning commission chairs, the Windham County state legislative delegation, the Windham regions top 50 largest employers, all Windham Region chambers of Commerce. Approximately 65 participants attended the meeting. That meeting was videotaped and posted to www.SeVEDS.com. The meeting was reported in The Commons, The Brattleboro Reformer and on Vermont Public Radio. At the kick off meeting, a small vocal segment of community activists

http://www.SeVEDS.com/

suggested that improving the economy was not the right thing to do, rather the region should concentrate on learning to do more with less. The phrase “Windham County is ahead because it is behind” was spoken. Some employers and Young Professionals spoke to contradict that notion during the second half of the meeting.

Two sets of four regional public input meetings in Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Londonderry and Wilmington were publicized. The dates for these two sets of four regional public meetings were in March and May. The scheduling of these meetings in March and May was done to intentionally to miss common region vacation times in April and June.

On Sunday March 17th a decision was made to reschedule the two sets of four regional public meetings in March and May due to an impending significant series of snow forecasts likely to impact both the travel of the ViTAL Economy team and the attendance at at least two of the region meetings. The two sets of four regional public meetings were rescheduled for April and June.

During the week of April 22nd, Frank Knott from ViTAL Economy conducted 4 regional sessions, managed input from 8 focus groups, updated the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation board and trustees on CEDS at their semiannual meeting and conducted a CEDS readiness assessment with the CEDS committee and met with over 270 regional representatives and members of the public. The meetings were as follows:

Tuesday, April 23:o 8:30 to 11:30 am: Regional Meeting, Lower Theater, BF Town Office (27 participants)o Noon to 1:30: Round table discussions, Lower Theater, Lunch provided

Group 1: Manufacturing (7 participants) Group 2: Tourism/Hospitality (4 participants)

o 4pm: BDCC Semi Annual Meeting Brat Retreat (50 participants) Wednesday, April 24:

o 8:30 am to 11:30 am: Wilmington Regional Meeting (41 participants)o 1:30: Round Table Discussions, Hannah C. and Brattleboro Selectboard rooms,

refreshments Group 1: Working Lands: Agriculture and Forestry (12 participants) Group 2: Professional, Scientific, Technical, IT, Creative Economy (10 participants)

o 6pm to 8:30 pm: Londonderry Regional Meeting (19 participants) Thursday, April 25:

o 8:30am to 10am: Roundtable discussions: Group 1: Heath Care: Brattleboro Select board meeting room (10 participants) Group 2: Higher Education: Hanna Cosman meeting room (8 participants)

o 10:30 to noon: Roundtable discussions Group 1: Workforce, Brattleboro Select board meeting room (10 participants) Group 2: Finance, Insurance, Real Estate: Hanna Cosman (15 participants)

o 2pm to 4:30pm: SeVEDS Board and Exec. Committee: Readiness assessment


o 6pm to 8:30 pm: Brattleboro Regional meeting, Select board meeting room (50 participants)

Highlights from the April focus groups:

A series of eight focus groups were held in April 2013 as part of the process to create a regional economic development strategy for SE Vermont. Below are the top leverageable assets that were identified by those groups (in green) and the top opportunities for strategy development (in blue). Following this list are summaries of each focus group with challenges and obstacles to growth also included.

Manufacturing:

Advantages to being located in Windham County include access to the interstate system and rent costs which are less than Chittenden County.

Bus service was cited as an asset Proximity to the political and governmental organizations. You can reach officials on the

phone. Business in VT is very personal.

Most important factor in recruitment are school quality and proximity to quality healthcare. Additional incubators needed for startups. UMass has active medical device entrepreneurial program. Initiative that focuses on that

would be good.

Colleges:

Need internship opportunities. All agree that colleges must collaborate to work with ski resorts to optimize opps. Need a seamless way to take credits from diff colleges and make a seamless, valid degree.

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate (FIRE)

We need more help for people assembling finance and assistance on real estate. We have a lot of job openings we need 35-40 year olds with experience, technology skills

updated People with children looking to come here (schools).

Tourism

Vermont brand is strong, and the scale of Vermont is advantageous. We have good proximity to market of affluent clientele (drive market) who enjoy the cultural experience and the quality of life


Snowmaking is superior, a game changer over Western - Why? – Because we have to have it.

South American economy rise is a huge opportunity for Vermont ski areas - “We should own this”

“There is a misalignment of objectives of economic development and regulation” Transportation coordination for out of state visitors would be helpful (i.e. busses w/Amtrak

schedule)

Workforce

Need to survey what are the skill levels that need to be replaced? What is the expectation of the skills levels of that future workforce that is supplied?

Working Lands

A great wood shed here in NE. Exceptional resource in large diameter timber. VT brand is helpful, should be a state priority.

Supply chain is less robust here (decrease in this). I have to go further out for farm parts. More foresters are needed to serve needs of private landowners who are committed and have

questions for professionals. We need a list of and network of brokers and distribution yards for timber. Is there opp to create a sustainable market building niche here? Want/need: a knowledge hub

and manufacturing hub here.

Professional, IT, Scientific

Snowboarding at Stratton proximity to New York and Boston People in this focus group experience “the arts” in a feeling that community is alive, creative

people, music venues, Gallery Walk, little bit of underground art scene “tasteful graffiti – Woodstock, VT is old people art – enough of raw edge here in Brattleboro to attract young people.

Members of this focus group felt if the state is successful with single payer – small business will flock here and they consider Vermont incubator for social ideas (basically) – healthcare, gay marriage, public education, and abolition of slavery – feel that story can help attract entrepreneurs.

Quality of schools systems is a big deal Bandwidth need over a meg a second. first town in with new technology gets massive tourism influx. Need more Co working space and part time office space.


Healthcare

shortage of IT and admin. shift to nurse practitioners due to doctor shortage. Technology integration - health care. Population health management collaboration (BMH,

SWVMC, GC) Advocacy of hospitals as economic driver

After these meetings in April we received the following observations, feedback and items for further follow up from ViTAL Economy:

1. Survey two young constituencies... 17-21 and 22-44 age groups. These are the critical age groups for SevEDS future.

2. CEO of Brattleboro Retreat expressed interest in speaking with ViTAL Economy3. Bring together a group around renewable energy and sustainable building products and

services. This is a potential niche market opportunity with assets that appear to be in greater abundance in the region.

4. In terms of the poverty issue in the region, work with some of the school principals to help develop a pattern across the region of the speed of increase in school lunch program expenditures as a percent of students. Growth in drug related and mental health emergency room admissions.

5. Interest in local foods and sustainable agriculture related to tourism and other aspects of the region.

6. Housing is a key and multi-faceted issue. There are issues of rents not able to support construction costs of new housing, the impact of subsidized housing on specific communities, and issue of affordable workforce housing that gets in the way of attracting high skilled knowledge worker families.

7. Current CEO of World Learning says they are announcing a new CEO in about 10 days. They are a large $140 million/year international enterprise in the region. The current President indicated that the new President would be open to our interest in leveraging the international footprint of World learning to expand the multi-cultural nature of the SeVEDS region.

8. Finance is an ever present issue in all the discussions we had this week. Discuss getting a core group of public and private financial executives together to discuss option SeVEDS should consider.

9. The issue of capacity building at the town level and the need for a regional redevelopment capacity came up a number of times. Put a brainstorming team together in June to discuss options. Explore the potential for a public/private entity, which many communities use. This is essentially what BDCC is and may have the capacity to grow into such an entity for the whole region.


Based on this feedback and the input from the community added to the regional profile data the following schedule and focus groups were set up with ViTAL Economy in June:

o Tuesday, June 25th: 8:30 to 11:30 am: Regional Meeting, Lower Theater, BF Town Office Noon to 1:30: Round table discussions, Lower Theater, Lunch provided

Group 1: Regional redevelopment capacity building 3:30 to 5:00 pm Roundtable discussions:

Group 1: Arts and culture BDCC Conference Room Group 2: Education Hannah Cosman Brattleboro Town Office

o Wednesday, June 26th: 8:30 am to 11:30 am: Wilmington Regional Meeting 1-2 Frank lunch with Rob Simpson at Retreat 7pm to 9:00 pm: Londonderry Regional Meeting

o Thursday, June 27th: 10:30 to noon: Roundtable discussions

Group 1: Focus Group: ALEX Wilson Select board meeting room Group 2: Focus Group: Housing Hanna Cosman meeting room.

2pm to 4:30pm: SeVEDS Board and CEDS Committee Meeting 7pm to 9:00 pm: Brattleboro Regional meeting, Retreat Education Conference

Room

o Friday June 28th: 9:00 to 10:30 Group 1: Low income/underserved population BDCC conference

room

Young Professionals Survey

Young professionals were surveyed for a two week period of time beginning May 29 2013. They were surveyed using an online tool with approximately 80 respondents

• Average respondent age: 36.5 years

• 70% married

• 50% of respondents work in Brattleboro

• 24% of respondents work in Dover/Wilmington


• Notable lack of responses from Londonderry, and Bellows Falls/Rockingham

• 44% of respondents have bachelor’s degree, 39% masters

• Cited as “Strength of Region”

• 37% cited politics (a common word was progressive)

• 25% cited outdoor recreation opportunities

• 24% cited scenic beauty

• 22% cited arts

• schools, cultural diversity and locavore/working lands each were cited by 18% of respondents

Note: Total greater than 100% as more than one response allowed on this question

• 66% plan to be here in 5 years

• 31% don’t know if they will be here in 5 years

• 65% of respondents replied that loss of their job, or their spouse/partner’s job, as a primary reason they would leave the region

Regional weaknesses cited:

• “There is no high tech culture at all. It is a challenge to even communicate with community meetings or groups with Skype.”

• “High cost of living (food, rent, gas), low wages, lack of robust job market, poor telecommunications infrastructure, lack of convenient public transportation locally and to nearby metropolitan areas (esp. Boston).”

• "There is a real split among the young folks who are here. There is no cohesion among young professionals.”

• “Lack of a large university.”

• “Lack of ethnic/race diversity.”

• “Limited nightlife opportunities.”

• “Lack of county-wide government structure to drive regional policy.”

• “Reliance upon tourism rather than self-sustaining economy.”


• “The few networks that do exist (business, economic development, arts/culture, nonprofit, etc.) are not collaborating across sectors.”

• “Jobs in the region do not pay comparable salaries to other regions and high taxes make homeownership challenging, even with two incomes.”

• “We do not operate on a regional level - Vermonters and southeastern Vermonters in particular, are very vested in being "different and special" from other areas of the state and region.”

Notable Regional Developments:In December of 2012, two Southern Vermont Regional Planning agencies were awarded a disaster grant from EDA. BDCC and SeVEDS played a significant role in developing the recovery project that grant will fund. The disaster project is expected to have integration with the CEDS development project.

On December 18th BDCC announced that they would be hiring Patricia (Pat) Moulton Powden as their Director of Workforce Development, and that she would assume the role of Executive Director for BDCC in December of 2013 when Jeff Lewis retires. Pat is the current Deputy Secretary for the Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development and former Vermont Secretary of Labor. The Director of Workforce Development position was created in response to SeVEDS efforts to hire a .6 Workforce Development coordinator.

In late December of 2012 BDCC and the Springfield Regional Development Corporation were awarded a $1,000,000 CDBG-DR grant to provide grants to businesses still recovering from the effects of flooding associated with TS Irene. Three rounds of competitive funding applications have allocated approximately $800,000 of that funding by May 2013.

In February of 2013 two Flood Recovery Officers (FROs) were hired by BDCC as part of an EDA Disaster grant to the Windham and Bennington County Regional Planning Commissions. The FROs are working with businesses and municipalities on surveying for unmet needs and providing assistance with HMGP and CDBG-DR grants as well as working on downtown and village revitalization initiatives. In May of 2013, also as part of an EDA Disaster grant to the Windham and Bennington County Regional Planning Commissions, BDCC contracted with Atlas Advertising of Denver Colorado to develop a brand and sustainable marketing program for the two Southern Vermont counties of Windham and Bennington.

In June of 2013 GS Precision announced a $250,000 training program for its current and future employees.

In June of 2013 a local investors group, MASABI, Inc., closed on the downtown Brattleboro building known as the Brooks House. This roughly 60,000 sf building in the heart of the downtown was devastated by fire in 2011. Construction is expected to commence this summer and will include retail, colocation of Vermont Technical College and Community College of Vermont and market rate apartments.


Request for ProposalsComprehensive Economic Development Strategy

Background: The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), on behalf of its affiliate the Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies Group (SeVEDS), is seeking proposals from qualified professionals that are knowledgeable in research and development, planning and data analysis to create a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the Windham Region of Vermont. The Windham Region is defined as the 23 towns in Windham County plus Winhall, Weston, Searsburg and Readsboro.

About BDCC and SeVEDS: BDCC is a private, nonprofit economic development organization that serves as a catalyst for industrial and commercial growth throughout Southeastern Vermont, including Windham County and the towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, and Weston. The primary objective of the BDCC is to create and retain a flourishing business community in the Windham Region that supports vibrant fiscal activity, and improves the quality of life of all its residents. BDCC is affiliated with the State of Vermont as the certified Regional Development Corporation (RDC) serving the greater Windham County area. BDCC is one of 12 RDCs throughout Vermont. SeVEDS is an affiliate of BDCC that grew from a 2008 grass roots effort, initiated by BDCC, to reverse the economic decline of the Windham Region.

Purpose: SEVEDS recognizes that the work undertaken in this region over the last several years has built a proper foundation for a successful CEDS process. It is expected that a CEDS will help the region to further identify its strengths and weaknesses and establish clear priorities for guiding the work of state agencies, municipalities, non-profit organizations and local business as we work in partnership to foster economic development in the region. The CEDS process for southeastern Vermont will naturally benefit from established social networks around SEVEDS and from the strong history of public engagement initiated by SEVEDS in building a regional economic development brand.

SEVEDS recognizes a CEDS as a plan and a process, and also expects that research and writing of this CEDS should be done with an eye towards implementation. Our intent is to secure specific commitments from stakeholders in adopting strategies which can be executed to achieve our stated goals.

End Population Decline 2009 = 42,605 est. 669 new jobs @$ 43,833 and 446 new jobs @$39,848 (NNE Average Wage) Improvement of 4,464 jobs by $5,000/yr. $69M new wages $141M in new GDP Reach Regional GDP of $2.8B Increase Median Annual Income for Associates/Some College from $26,855 to $32,000 Increase Median Annual Income for Bachelor’s Degree from $32,518 to $39,000


Improve the Ratio of Net Earned Income to Total Income from .566 to .65To End Population decline

Scope of Work: The CEDS effort must include, but is not limited to: coordination with SEVEDS board, committees and outside community groups designed to gather public input and deliver presentations, analyze data and prepare a CEDS document that satisfies the requirements of the Economic Development Administration (EDA). This document must address the following list of critical components.

Regional Profile: This section will include all current data relevant to the economic, demographic, geographic, workforce, transportation and environmental metrics of the region. The Regional Profile section will also review and provide a clear analysis of the region’s economic clusters paying close attention to the factors that support their successful operation. Finally, the regional profile should include an in-depth analysis of the economic development problems and opportunities facing the region. This analysis should include recommendations for addressing the problems and strategies for capitalizing on the opportunities.

Visioning, Goals and Objectives: The second section of the CEDS should document SEVEDS clearly defined vision and a set of regional goals and objectives for economic development. This section should document the process by which the vision, goals and objectives have arisen from an extensive process of public outreach to stakeholders throughout the region. This should involve public meetings in several of the region’s towns, collaboration with business leaders, public officials and private individuals, this process should gather the wide range of ideas regarding the future development of our region. Along with the overall vision, these ideas will be pared down to a set of cohesive, concrete steps to achieve our goals and address the region’s economic challenges and capitalize on its opportunities.

A Plan of Action: This component of the CEDS will be an action plan for achieving the Goals and Objectives. These strategies should consist of specific projects and programs that will be carried out by one or more stakeholders in the region. The CEDS will identify the nature and intended goal of the project, an estimated cost of the project, a lead agency and potential partners to implement the project, a projected timeline, potential funding sources, the desired outcome of the effort and, where applicable, an estimate of the number of jobs to be created or retained by the project. This section of the CEDS should also identify and prioritize critical capital development and infrastructure projects proposed by municipal, state, or federal government for the region.

Evaluation and Measurement: The final section will evaluate the process of

administering the CEDS as well as distinguishing a performance measurement system to measure the strategy’s current and future success. This section will utilize a measurement system, based on outcome, output and efficiency measures, to maintain a high level of transparency and hold all parties accountable towards implementation. This section will


also allow the region to benchmark itself among other regions according to specific outcome measurements identified.

Proposed Schedule RFP issue date: August 31, 2012 Deadline for proposals: October 1, 2012 Review by SeVEDS: October 18, 2012 Consultant Interviews: through November 1, 2012 Consultant Selection: November 15, 2012 Start Date for consultant: November 29, 2012 End Date: June 29, 2013

Submittal Requirements: Responses to this RFP should include a detailed work plan that addresses the overall timeline and milestones necessary to complete the CEDS, identify specific activities that will be accomplished, identify staffing and number of hours that will be devoted to each activity and describe the work product that will be produced. It should also include a process for communicating with BDCC staff and the SeVEDS board, a public involvement plan, and a timeline for status reports, draft reports and hard copy and electronic delivery of final CEDS document.Selection Criteria: Responses to this proposal will be evaluated on the following criteria: Qualification and experience of prime consultant and any sub consultants with studies of similar scope and size; demonstrated knowledge of economic development principals and trends; sufficient staff for all required work; history of successful performance on similar projects, proposed cost of the study; and lastly, demonstration of commitment for meeting the project schedule. An invitation to enter into contract negotiations shall be forwarded to the firm or individuals determined to be qualified and best able to perform the described task.Responses: Please submit a sealed written proposal to the mailing address below and also submit an electronic submission to email address. Materials and documents submitted in response to this RFP become the property of SeVEDS and will not be returned to the bidder. Responses must be received by mail and in electronic format or delivered in person to:

Laura Sibilia, BDCC, 76 Cotton Mill Hill, Brattleboro, VT 05301 Inquiries may be directed to Laura Sibilia at (802) 257-7731 or by email at

[email protected]

RSVP list for SeVEDS Public Annual Meeting – September 13, 2012 Bellows Falls

First Last CompanyBob Allen Windham FoundationKate Anderson Brattleboro Town Arts CommitteeAnn Andreosatos New ChapterBill Anton Dover SchoolJessica Atwood Franklin County, MADave Bacon VermedKen Black Town of Dover


Dora Bouboulis Town of BrattleboroTed Brady Senator Leahy's OfficeAlex Broyles EntergyMichael Bruno Windham AntiquesJeff Clark ChromaTom Consolino Town of WilmingtonJeffrey Corrigan Brattleboro RetreatJesse Corum Attorney - Post VYBrian Cosgrove EntergyDavid Coughlin Windham Regional Career CenterGloria J. Cristelli Town of NewfaneDavid Deen LegislatorBob DeSiervo Town of TownshendDavid Dezendorf Town of TownshendSadie Fischesser AHS Field Services DirectorSky Foulke Stratton Mountain ResortPeter Galbraith LegislatorBruce Gardner BDCCSue Graff United WayIssac Grosswiler EntergyMary Habig CT River TransitGretchen HavreluK VtSBDC

Maureen HebertVTC Continuing Education and Workforce Development

Mike Hebert LegislatorCraig Hunt Town of TownshendColin James Windham AntiquesRich Kendall SovernetTiffany Keune Community College of VermontLarry Lackey SovernetBill LaCour SovernetKitsie LaRock EntergyAnn Manwaring Legislator

EllenMcCullogh-Lovell Marlboro College Post VY

John Medeiros Town of Westminster Planning CommissionCullin Meves Windham Region CommissionJohn Meyer Pieciak and Co - BDCCJon Midura Windham AntiquesLawrence Miller

Secretary Agency of Commerce & Community Development


Craig Miskovich Attorney - BDCC BoardNona Monis Town of DoverJohn Moran LegislatorLorraine Muha Honora Winery and VineyardJon Muise USDAGregg Noble Sovernet / VT FiberConnectJohn NopperBob Oesser Post VYKelly Pawlak Mount SnowTom Powell ARINCMark Richards Post VY BDCC BoardBrendan Ryan Mount SnowNorm Schneeberger GS PrecisionRachel Selsky Camoin AssociatesShap Smith Vermont Speaker of the HouseDan Smith Vermont State CollegesDanielle Southwell Youth ServicesMeri Spicer Grafton CheeseCynthia Stoddard Town of Putney TMValerie Stuart LegislatorRobin Sweetapple BDCCKristine Sweeter Town of WhitinghamNancy Talbott WSWSUTristan Toleno Entera Catering - Candidate for LegislatureDutch Walsh Town of Rockingham Economic DevelopmentKenyon Webber EntergyLissa Weinmann Brattleboro Film FestivalDeborah Wright Bellows Falls Village TrusteeMary Wright Gallery Wright Sticks and StonesBrad York Honora Winery and Vineyard

Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategiesc/o BDCC76 Cotton Mill HillBrattleboro, VT 05301

October 14, 2012


Dear Windham region select board members,

I am writing to you today on behalf of the Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies board, or SeVEDS, requesting to get on an upcoming agenda so we can share with you:

the regional economic development work we are currently undertaking our future plans why we need your support

Starting in 2007 as a grassroots effort looking to expand broadband in Southeastern Vermont, SeVEDS mission is to reverse the economic decline of the Windham Region. Many of Windham County’s economic indicators have been stagnant or declining for 20 years including population, GDP, and educational attainment while average annual wages have not kept pace with our neighboring counties or the State of Vermont.

Last summer, just before the devastating flooding which further exacerbated economic struggles for many towns and families, SeVEDS became a legal organization 501 (c) 6. We are affiliated with the Windham Region’s Development Corporation; BDCC, and receive funding from both the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development and BDCC. We are proud to say our board of directors is diverse in age and geography within the Windham Region, and represent majority private sector.

With public involvement, SeVEDS has established preliminary economic goals for the region and action oriented work plans. We have just begun the process for development of a federally recognized Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), which will develop more detailed development strategies based on economic cluster analysis and public and private sector engagement. Completion of a CEDS will also make qualified public and private infrastructure and development projects eligible for additional types of federal investments.

Your board may have read about the $50,000 challenge grant that SeVEDS received from the Town of Brattleboro this past summer. The Brattleboro selectman agreed to contribute $50,000 from Brattleboro’s Community Development Block Grant program funds to support SeVEDS if SeVEDS could raise a matching $50,000 from other municipalities in the Windham Region. Because the Brattleboro select board saw the urgency in the actions we are undertaking, they agreed to give us $25,000 in advance of us raising the $50,000 from other municipalities.

We will be making a support request to every municipality in the Windham Region, as well as asking for an opportunity to come and answer questions about SeVEDS work. We do understand that most towns do not have CDBG program funds, and so will either include support in their regular municipal budget or as a separate item at town meeting.

We are also asking towns with CDBG program funds or 1% local option tax revenue to consider supporting this regional economic development effort now with a grant from those funds for FY 13, so


that we can sustain a newly created regional workforce development position while working on completion of the CEDS.

We are submitting our FY 2013 budgeted and FY 12 year end financials. Included in our FY 13 work plan are board members and terms, the preliminary overarching SeVEDS goals and strategies as well as detailed information about the federal CEDS process. We are asking all towns to contribute towards this regional economic development effort at the rate of $3.00 per person, based on town population. Please, invite us to come to a board meeting and give a brief presentation and answer questions, and contact me at any time to schedule our visit or with questions.

Sincerely

Laura SibiliaBDCC Economic Development Project Director

[email protected](o) 257-7731 extension 217(c) 384-0233

SeVEDS meetings with towns as of December 31, 2012 – 17 total – 6 funded (in bold)

Town Pop FY 13 FY 14 What was approved

Brattleboro 12046 $25,000.00 $25,000.0

0

FY 13 :: 50K challenge grant - advanced 25K to begin CDBG program income


mailto:[email protected]

Rockingham 5282 $15,000.00 $15,000.00

FY 13 :: 15K CDBG program income FY 14 :: 15K warned as separate item for Town Meeting

Westminster 3178

Putney 2702 $8,100.00 FY 14 :: 8K warned as separate item for Town Meeting MUST petition

Vernon 2206 $6,600.00

FY 14 :: 6.6K warned as separate item for Town Meeting - Jeff has sent sb chair a follow up on FY 13 request

Guilford 2121 $6,300.00 FY 14 :: 6.3K warned as separate item for Town Meeting

Wilmington 1876 $2,814.00 $5,600.00

FY 13 :: TM rec. 5.6K out of exist ed funds FY 14 :: 5.6K warned as separate item for Town Meeting MUST petition

Dummerston 1864

Londonderry 1769 $5,300.00 FY:14 probably no petition

Newfane 1726 $5,100.00 FY:14 requested no petition

Whitingham 1357 $4,000.00 FY 14 :: 4K warned as a separate item - MUST petition


Dover 1124 $3,300.00 Requested for FY 13 and FY 14

Marlboro 1078 $3,200.00 FY 14 :: MUST petition

Jamaica 1035 $3,000.00 FY 14 :: MUST petitionHalifax 728 $2,184.00Stratton 216 $600.00

SeVEDS FY 13 objectives What's in it for my town?

Create Windham Region CEDS

A CEDS can be used to help access federal funding for certain types of projects within your town. Participating in the process of developing the CEDS helps the towns in the region develop an overall growth plan for the economy. Participants help identify key economic resources, opportunities and challenges. Types of projects that may be eligible for inclusion in the CEDS include (but are not limited to): Transportation Infrastructure: roads, bridgesIndustrial Infrastructure: airports, industrial parksCommunity Infrastructure: water/sewer, police and fire, libraryEducation and Workforce Development and Other Projects: Colleges, workforce training, recruitment materials


Add Workforce Development Capacity

The Windham Region has a mismatch between its employers and the skills and numbers of the existing workforce. A number of employers are challenged to grow because they cannot hire and retain qualified personnel - particularly for specialty occupations. If you have employers in your town, it's likely they are looking at a rapidly aging workforce and wondering how they will replace them. If you are mainly a residential community - your residents are working somewhere else in Windham County, or perhaps another County. Investment in Workforce Development is an investment in your residents’ ability to increase their wages.

Grow the regional young professionals connection to each other and the region

New England has seen a deep decline in the population and Vermont's decline is worse. Windham County has declined more. This results in stagnant or declining overall populations in most towns, decreased highly skilled workforce, decreased student populations, decreased civic volunteers and board members

Conduct a municipal fundraising effort

We have found that almost every town has needs in one of the three areas above. These are shared challenges. The complication is that most towns, their grand list's, and their business communities are simply too small to effectively tackle these challenges on their own. We know that the Windham Region Workforce lives in all of our towns. We also know that "the state" does not have the resources to save the day. If we are to change the direction of our economy, "we" have to do it. That means we need to invest in it, and have a say in it and work at it.

What's future projects might benefit my town?

We have to commit to working at this for a number of years. We will not be able to change things as quickly as we may like and so sustained effort and investment is key.1. SeVEDS is working to develop a marketing network and sustainable marketing plan for employer recruitment, and for tourism.2. SeVEDS is developing plans for a "business accelerator". This will allow entrepreneurs to test their business ideas and promote startup companies and new employment.

3.SeVEDS long term objectives call for attention to be paid to creation of a regional redevelopment strategy for derelict or underused or abandoned public, industrial and commercial properties. Such a strategy would include coordinated promotion of best practices, making resources available for planning and both shared and centralized comprehensive knowledge of project financing opportunities.
